Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of New Zealand series and first half of Test series against Australia – Reports

Jasprit Bumrah was excluded from India’s three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka due to injury concerns, but it might not be enough to force the speedster to compete in the whole Border-Gavaskar Trophy encounter against Australia. According to ESPNCricinfo, Bumrah is unlikely to play in the whole limited-overs series against New Zealand and at least the first few Test matches against Australia.

Bumrah was released from the Sri Lanka ODIs on the eve of the series opener in Guwahati after the right-arm seamer reported discomfort in his back. This happened exactly one month prior to the first of the four Test matches against Australia beginning on February 9 in Nagpur.

Bumrah’s inclusion in the ODI lineup for the Sri Lanka series was already a last-minute decision. After receiving the all-clear from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where Bumrah has been receiving his rehabilitation for a while, the selectors immediately picked him into the lineup. But just as things seemed to be going Bumrah and India’s way, the bowler experienced some back pain during a match simulation training.

It was determined Bumrah would need more rehab time: Reports

The 29-year-old fast bowler passed the match simulation, but as the load rose the next day, he complained of back pain. With the Australia Tests, Asia Cup, and ODI World Cup in mind, the team management made the quick decision to remove him from the ODI squad.

The choice to accelerate Bumrah’s return last year proved disastrous, keeping him out of the 20-20 World Cup, so the physios and support staff are extra cautious this time around. After a prolonged injury break, Bumrah played just a few T20Is against Australia in September before injuring his back once more.

However, if everything goes as planned, Bumrah will only be able to play in the next two Test matches against Australia in March at Dharamshala and Ahmedabad.

“After clearing those tests at the NCA last week, Bumrah had fresh bowling tests in Mumbai under the supervision of Nitin Patel, the head of NCA’s sports science wing and the final authority on a player’s fitness clearance. It was after those tests, combined with the scan results, that it was determined Bumrah would need more rehab time,” the report said.

Bumrah would need three more weeks of recovery before he can resume bowling at full strength, according to the report, which virtually excludes him from the first half of the Australia Test series.